


Impossible

by KittyKatGeorgie



Category: Captain Underpants Series - Dav Pilkey, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (Cartoon)
Genre: Best Friends, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25124173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatGeorgie/pseuds/KittyKatGeorgie
Summary: There were certain rules that even George and Harold struggled to break. Good thing they end up breaking most of them anyways.
Relationships: George Beard/Harold Hutchins
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50





	Impossible

Being best friends had certain, unspoken rules.

Rule number one: never, _ever_ keep secrets from each other, with the only exception being for surprises.

Harold had broken rule number one.

He didn't mean to! Honestly, he didn't! But sometimes there's certain secrets you have to keep. He couldn't tell this one to George. Because the secret itself broke rule number two.

_Don't get a crush on him._

He had broken the two biggest rules of being best friends. And he couldn't even tell George! He couldn't mess up the dynamic and risk breaking up the friendship. He couldn't tell _anyone._ This was probably the biggest secret of his life- and he had been in the closet for a good… two days or something.

It hurt that he couldn't tell George. But telling George risked _everything._

He was breaking the best friend rules.

* * *

Was he seriously thinking about breaking the best friend rules?

George ran his hands through his hair, staring at the pencil and paper in front of him. He was supposed to be working on their next comic, not doodling his name in fancy fonts that, honestly, he couldn't even _read._

He scowled, balling up the paper and tossing it in the trash can next to his desk. His heart hurt almost immediately, like he had done something _wrong_ , and he quickly retrieved the paper and tried to get it neat again. 

He _couldn't_ tell Harold that was breaking the rules. Although technically he was already breaking one- lying to him. But it was to not break a different rule, so was it technically against the rules?

George's head hurt.

He never _did_ like rules… But these were important ones! These weren't dumb rules like "no fidgeting" or "no throwing water balloons on the teachers." These _mattered,_ bad things happened if he broke these rules. Bad things besides getting detention, _seriously_ bad things. Like Harold getting freaked out and not wanting to be best friends anymore because George was in love with-

No, he wasn't _in love._ He couldn't be in love. That was definitely against the rules. It was just a little crush… A crush that would go away eventually, as long as George just didn't say anything.

He gazed longingly out of the window and across at Harold's house. He wished he could break these rules…

* * *

It was getting unbearable.

It wasn't going away, it was just getting stronger!

Harold watched George's face in the moonlight, fast asleep. He was _so_ cute, and Harold's heart was going crazy right up against him in the hammock. Every time they fell asleep together, it got worse. Everything was making it _worse._

Harold was noticing things he'd never noticed before. Like how George chewed at his lips when he was thinking. Or the certain way his cheeks would puff up when he was trying not to laugh. Or how every time he stretched, his shirt went up a little and Harold could see his belly-

Oh no, he was thinking about it again! Usually when he didn't think about things he _forgot,_ so he was trying to _forget_ but he just couldn't!

This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he had to fall in love with his best friend. It wasn't _fair_ that he couldn't even break the rules to _tell him_ he had fallen in love with him. If they hadn't been best friends for seven years, if they were just _friends,_ Harold could tell him he was in love. Because then if he didn't feel the same way it wasn't as scary.

If George didn't like him back, Harold could lose him. 

He couldn't lose him.

* * *

Screw the rules.

George couldn't _handle_ the rules anymore. He _had_ to say something before his heart exploded! That would be a really embarrassing way for Harold to find out.

They were good enough that it wouldn't ruin them, right? If they were just friends, it might be too awkward to keep going. But they were _best friends;_ they practically lived together! Even if Harold didn't like him the same way, they could get through it. They _could._

So it was ok to break one of the rules… right?

"Hey, what's that?"

George looked up from the letter in his hands. He couldn't do this. He was chickening out.

"N-nothing. It's not important."

But he couldn't tear it up, so he just crumpled it and ignored the pain in his heart as he stuffed it in his pocket.

A letter wasn't the right way to do it, anyways. Harold liked listening to words more than reading them. George would figure out another way to do it.

* * *

Jeez, even his _mom_ had started to notice.

Harold was getting more distracted than usual. And that was _bad,_ because if he got too distracted the teachers would start recommending medication, and Harold didn't want medication, because George had said it was awful when he had it, and it probably wouldn't even help because the distraction was _external._

...or something like that…

His anxiety was getting worse again too… Usually being around George helped, but he was making it _worse…_ Because Harold wanted to tell him! But he couldn't, and he was so _scared_ that George would figure it out.

Sometimes he could ignore it… Sometimes he could act somewhat normal around him. He still liked making comics with him, it helped distract him enough to sit near him and not think about how close they were…

"...are you ok, Harold?"

 _No no no!_ Don't ask that! He couldn't think about it! If he didn't think about it he was _fine!_

"Yeah." Harold smiled anxiously. He was lying. He wasn't supposed to lie to George. "I'm ok… Just tired, I guess…"

"You haven't been good lately… Is everything ok?"

He couldn't lie if he didn't say anything, right?

But George didn't seem happy with that.

"Hey… you know you can tell me anything, right?" George gently held his shoulders, and it sent butterflies through Harold's stomach. "We're best friends. We… don't keep secrets, remember? Because nothing is ever bad enough for us to be mad at each other. ...ar-are you crying?"

He _was._ Stop it! Now he'll _definitely_ know something is going on! Stop it, stop crying-!

"Yo-ou're gonna ha-hate me," Harold sobbed.

"Harold! I could never hate you! It's _literally_ impossible."

"Y-you _will!_ Becau-cause I'm breaking the- the _rules,_ the best frie-end _rules._ "

"...which one?" George asked softly.

Harold sniffed, preparing himself for George to get mad. "Ke-eeping secrets… a-and… having a- a crush…"

"...can I kiss you?"

" _What?_ "

"Can. I. Kiss. You."

Harold nodded, and in the next second George's lips were on his. He almost short-circuited. This was _happening!_ It was happening for real and not in a dream or a fantasty-

…

Harold pinched himself.

No, not a dream.

"I've been breaking those rules too," George said when they finally broke apart.

Harold almost didn't hear him. "What?"

"I've had a crush on you for awhile…"

Harold blinked, then groaned and rubbed at his eyes. "You mean we could have avoided all that?! My mom was talking about meds, man!"

George giggled a little. "I was that much of a distraction?"

" _Yeah,_ I mean… you're really cute, dude… I was so scared you would… hate me for it…"

George smiled and kissed him again, and Harold's heart almost leaped out of his chest.

"That's _literally_ impossible."


End file.
